University Times

James O’Mara and Kimberly Young O’Mara have donated $25,000 to Pitt-Bradford for an interfaith chapel to be built this year on the campus’s west end. The gift helps UPB close in on its $2.5 million fundraising goal for the chapel, which is being funded exclusively through private donations.

In appreciation of the gift, a wooden bridge leading into the chapel, which will be raised several feet above the ground, will be named in honor of the O’Maras.

James O’Mara is the former president of Crosby Dairy Products. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Pitt-Bradford in 1996, he went on to earn a Master of Social Work degree from Pitt in 2000. He has served as a member of UPB’s advisory board since 1994.

Kimberly Young O’Mara is a former faculty member at Pitt-Bradford who now teaches at St. Bonaventure University.

The chapel, designed by Albert Filoni of MacLachlan, Cornelius and Filoni Architects of Pittsburgh, will feature a glass-walled sanctuary facing the west branch of the Tunungwant Creek. It will be built using several green construction practices, including the use of pilings instead of moving earth for a foundation and special insulated glass to keep the sanctuary from overheating in the summer.

In addition to being a site for religious services, the chapel will serve as a center for coordinating student volunteerism and a venue for lectures, concerts and poetry readings.